Gearing for washing-machines.



W. J. SGHOONOVER. GEARING FOR WASHING MACHINES. APPLIOATION FILED D3016, 1909.

. Patented June 27, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 a 4 1 a J n 0 8 6% 8 W 0 a a 1, 4 .3 a 1 9 U 1 @f a y f H F a I 2 a z w I a a J k a A .Ji!

Jnvenlaf W ylwp' w W. J. sonoauovm. GEA-RING FOR WASHING MAGHINES.

APPLICATION FILED 151110.16, 1909v Patented June 27, 1911 2 SHEETSSHE'ET 2.

996,1&&

onrrnn sTATEs PATENT orrica.

. WILLIAM J. SCHOONOVER, OF DES MOINES, IOWA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO I OWA. WASHING MACHINE COMPANY, OF DES MOINES, IOWA A CORPORATION.

GEARING FOR WASHING-MACHINES Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 11119 27, 1911.,

Application filed December 16, 1909. Serial No. 533,341:

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVILLiAM JACKSON SCHOONOVER, a citizen of the United States,

and a resident of Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have inventedings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of gearing devices for washing machines in which the itator shaft is given an alternatin rotary movement and in which there is a balance wheel operatively connected with the agitator shaft and to which is imparted a continuous rotary movement at high speed so that after the gearing device has been started by hand power its motion will be continued for a considerable period of time after the operator has ceased to apply power.

The objects of my invention are to provide a gearing device of this class of simple, durable and inexpensive construction in which the rack bar that actuates the agitator shaft is moved only in a horizontal direction so that its teeth will accurately mesh at all times with the teeth on the pinion of the agitator shaft.

A further object is to provide means for imparting motion to the balance wheel and also to the rack bar which means comprise only a single shaft having a crank arm therein and being mounted for rotation in bearings at the side of thetub. a

A further object is to provide a device of this kind in which the hinged cover containing the agitator shaft may be readily and quickly opened and closed and the rack bar carried by the cover maybe disconnected from the operating crank shaft quickly and easily to permit the cover to be raised without moving the operating crank shaft. I

A further object is to provide a balance wheel and gearing device therefor so arranged beneath the bottom of the tub as to occupy a small space and all lie in the same horizontal plane and to be capable of being supported on a single plate having suitable journals for said. parts.

My invention consists in certain details, in

the construction, arrangement and combina tion of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical, seetionalview of a washing machine, showing by improved gear operating mechanism applied thereto, parts of the said mechanism being shown in elevation and other parts in section. Fig. 2 is a detail, vertical section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the machine, showing the parts of the operating mechanism supported on the cover or lid. Fig. 4. is a bottom plan view of the machine, showing the parts of the operating mechanism mounted thereon.

As shown in the drawings, 10 designates thetub of the washing machine, and 11 the hinged lid or cover thereof. 12 designates a vertical dasher shaft carried by said cover and capable of a rotary reciprocatory motion, and 13 designates a dasher of familiar form carried by the lower end of said dasher shaft. Said shaft extends at its upper end through and has bearing in a horizontal plate 14 secured to the upper side of the lid and directly supporting parts of the mech anism above the lid. The said plate is provided with an integral sleeve or boss 15 which extends downwardly into a central opening in the lid and constituting a lower bearing for the dasher shaft. An upper bearing for the shaft is formed in a sleeve 17 of a spider frame 16 which is detachably secured to the top of said plate by means of screw-bolts 1S. Said dasher sl'ia'ft is supported on the spider frame 16 by means of a collar 19 fixed to the shaft above the spider bearing sleeve 19, as by a pin 19, said collar directly engaging the upper end of said sleeve. Fixed non-rotativcly to said shaft above the plate 14 and between the same and the upper bearing of the spider frame is a pinion 20, said pinion being herein shown as non-rotatively secured to the shaft by l'l'lCtlllS of a key 21 engaging key seats formed in the shaft and the bore of the pinion. 2-l designates a horizontally arranged, longitudinally reciprocating rack bar supported on said plate 1 at one side of, .md meshing with, the pinion 20.

25 designates an upright driving shaft arnism below the tub bottom. The said plate,

28 is formed at its outer end, near the bearing bracket 27 with an upwardly extending lip 31 which fits against the side wall of the tub. The said driving shaft 25 is provided at its upper end with a crank portion with which the outer end of the rack b: :21 is de tachably and pivotally connected. As herein shown, said outer end of the rack bar is arranged to provide a divided bearing, one side or member 34: of which is hinged at its outer end to the outer end of the bar and swings at its inner end toward and from the bar.

Said hinged member and the bar are pro;'

vided on their inner sides with opposing c011- cave recesses which, together, form a cylindric bearing to receive the crank 33. Said hinged member of the bearing is fixed-to the bar by a bolt provided with a thumb screw The divided bearing shown, or other equivalent connection, permits the rack bar to be disconnected from the crank shaft,

when it is desired to raise the lid to open the machine. The crank is provided-at its upper end with an operating handle 36 byv which the crank shaft is turned. This crank is extended in the same direction from the shaft 25 as the crank v 38 designates a fly or balance wheel arranged horizontally beneath the tub and rotatively mounted on a downwardly extending stud 39 made integral with the bottom plate 28. The hub of said balance wheel is provided at its upper end with a circular series of teeth to form a pinion 40 which meshes with a horizontal idler gear wheel all that is rotatively mounted on a'downwardly extending stud 42 formed integral with said plate 28, and said idler gear wheel in turn meshes with a gear wheel 43 which is fixed to the lower end of the driving shaft 25 below the plane of the tub bottom. The rack bar- 24 is maintained lat orally in mesh with the pinion 20 of the dasher shaft by means of a guide roller 45 that is mounted on a pin or bolt 46 extending upwardly through the plate let at one side of said pinion. Said rack-bar is held vertically in place by means of an arm 48 which, as herein shown, isimade integral with the spider-frame 16 and extends laterally over the rack bar 14. Said arm is shownas provided at its outer end with an opening through which the guide roller bolt or pin 46 extends, whereby said arm sup ports the upper endof said bolt so. that when the rack bar is disconnected from the In assembling the parts at the top of the machine, the bearing bolt 46 for the rack bar gi-iide roller is attached to the'swinging lid of the tub. Said plate is then secured on the lid and the dasher shaft is inserted upwardly through the bearing sleeve or boss 15 thereof and the pinion 20 applied thereto. Thereafter the spider frame 16 is fitted over the shaft, the guide arm 48 at the same time being fitted over the upper end of the guide roller bearing bolt, to which bolt the guide roller has been previously applied, and finally the bearing collar or head 19 is fixed to the upper end of the shaft above the spider frame by means of the pin 19. The rack bar 2 L is applied to to the pinion between the same and the' roller before the spider frame is fitted in place.

In the operation of the machine, the shaft "25 is continuously rotated by manual power applied to the crank-handle 36, and, as said shaft rotates, the crank imparts a longitudinally reciprocating motion of the rack-bar which operates, through the pinion 20, to rotate the dasher shaft first in one direction and then the other. The dasher imparts to the clothes in the tub a correspondmg movement through the wash water in which they are submerged, thus forcing the water through the meshes of the fabric to loosen and remove the dirt therefrom. The reciprocating movement of said rack bar and the rotary movement of the dasher shaft are reversed at the inner and outer points of dead center of the crank 33 of the driving shaft, and the connection of said balance wheel 38 with the driving shaft, as described, serves to effect a smooth reversal of the reciprocating parts and avoids the necessity of exerting added power at the points of reversal to produce a substantially uniform speed of the moving parts. The said balance wheel also serves, in a well known manner, by its momentum to assist in driving the gear mechanism after the parts are set in motion. By reason of the swinging motion of the crank end of the rack bar due to its connection with the rotary crank, said rack bar swings horizontally from side to side during its reciprocating movement, and the arrangement of the guideroller 45 is such,,with respect to the pinion, as to permit of such horizontal swinging movement without tendency of the parts to bind;

One of the important advantages'of my. invention is that when the rack bar is connected to the crank of the operating shaft.

these parts firmly hold the hinged cover in its closed position and there is no tendency seams operator cannot accidentally open the cover without first disconnecting the rack bar from the main shaft. Hence it is not necessary to provide additional fastening means for the cover. Access may be had to the interior of the tub readily, quickly and easily at any time by first disconnecting the rack bar from the crank, whereupon the cover maybe raised in the ordinary manner and when so raised the rack. bar is prerented from moving out of engagement with I the pinion on the dasher shaft by means of the bracket 48 and roller 45. After the cover is closed the rack bar may be again connected to the crank shaft very quickly and easily and the device is again ready for operation. i a

In order to provide for operating an alternating rotary dashershaft and a continuously rotating balance wheel at high speed,

'itis necessary to have a number of intermediate gear wheels between the main power shaft and the balance-wheel and it is also necessary that the rack be connected with the power shaft. Inv the construction herein set forth a single rotatable shaft has its upner end connected to the rack bar and its lower end connected to the pinion 43. By this arrangement all of the connections are firm and rigid and a very strong and durable gearing" device is thus provided. Furthermore, the. balance wheel itself as well as the gearing devices connected to it all lie in a horizontal plane under the bottom of the tub and hence they occupy a minimum of space and are not likely to get out of order.

I I claim as my invention: 1. A gearing device for washing machines, comprising a main support, a hinged member on the support, an right shaft mounted in the hinged member, a pinion on the upright shaft, a rack bar in mesh with the .pinion, a vertically arranged shaft at the sideof the main supportopposite from the hinged joint of the hinged member, a crank formed on said vertically arranged shaft and means for detachably connecting the rack bar with said crank.

2. A gearing device for washing machines, comprising a main support, a hinged member on the'support, an upright shaft mounted in the hinged member, a pinion on the upright shaft, a rack bar in mesh with the pinion, a vertically arranged shaft at the side of themain support opposite from tl hinged joint of the hinged member, a crank formed on said vertically arranged shaft, means for detachably connecting the rack bar with said crank, and means for holding the IEtfikc bar against movement to position out of engagement with its pinion:

31A gearing device for washing machines, comprising a main support, a hinged member on the support, an upright shaft mounted in the hinged member, a pinion on the upright shaft, a rack bar in mesh with the pinion, a vertically arranged shaft at the side of the main support opposite from the hinged joint of the hinged member, crank formed on said vertically arranged "shaft, means for detachably connecting the rack bar with said crank, means for holding the rack bar against movement to position out of engagement wit-h its pinion, said means including an arm extended over therack bar to prevent movement away from the hinged niember,-and also a roller to engage the portion of the rack bar opposite from the pinion on the vertically arranged shaft.

4. A gearing device for washing machines, comprising a main support, a hinged member on the support, an upright shaft mounted in the hinged member, a pinion on the upright shaft a rack bar in mesh with the pinion, a vertically arranged shaft at the side of the main support opposite from the hinged joint of the hinged member, a crank formed on said vertically arranged shaft, means for detachably ,connecting the rack bar with said. crankfthe means for connecting the rack bar with the crank shaft comprising a hinged bearing member connected to the outer end of the rack bar and designed to pass around the crank, and a bolt and nut for connecting its free end with the rack bar.

r 5. A gearing device for washing machines, comprising a support, a vertically arranged shaft at the top of the support, a downwardly extended journal at the bot tom of the support, a pinionon said shaft, a rack bar in niesh with the pinion, a vertically arranged power shaft at the side of the support,' a crank thereon connected with the rack bar, and a crank at the upper end of said power shaft extended from the power shaft in the same. direction as the first mentioned crank, a pinion fixed to the lower end of the power shaft in a horizontal plane, a balance wheel on the journal below the support, and speed increasing gearing devices connecting said pinion with said balance wheel.

6. A gearing device for washing machines, comprising a support, a vertically arranged shaft at the top of the support, a pinion thereon, a rack bar in mesh with the pinion, a vertically arranged power shaft at the side of the support, a crank arm thereon having said rack bar connected 'vs'u'th it, a bracket fixed to the bottom of the ed on one of said journals and having cog teeth on its hub, a small pinion mounted on the other journal in mesh With said teeth on the balance Wheel hub, and a pinion fixed to the lower end of the power shaft and in mesh with the last mentioned pinion, said pinions being arranged in a plane above the balance Wheel and all being arranged horizontally, for the purposes stated.

7. A gearing device for Washing machines, comprising a main support, a hinged member on the support, an upright shaft mounted on the hinged member, a pinion on the upright shaft, a rack bar in mesh With the pinion, a vertically arranged shaft at the side of the main support, a crank on said vertically arranged shaft, and means fordetachably connecting the bar with said crank.

8. A gearing device for Washing machines, comprising a main support, a hinged member on the support, an upright shaft, mounted on the hinged; member, a pinion on the upright shaft, a rackbar in mesh with the pinion, a vertically arranged shaft at the side of the main support opposite from the hinged joint of the hinged memher, a crank connected to said vertically arranged shaft, and means for detachably connecting the rack bar With said crank.

Des Momes, Iowa, December 13, 1909.

WILLIAM J. SCHOON OVER. Witnesses:

M. B. GOLDIZEN, M. WALLACE. 

